Harlem World Magazine will publish the official program guide for the Harlem Book Fair (to be held in Harlem, NY on Saturday, July 22nd 2006).  The Harlem Book Fair 2006 commemorative issue is a first of it's kind, and is sure to become a collectors item. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to showcase your book during one of the largest gatherings of book buyers in the country.

As an added bonus, all advertisers in this commemorative issue will have their book(s) added to the AALBC.com homepage rotation from the moment they purchase their advertisement until Sunday July 23rd 2006.  The deadline for inclusion in this special issue is June17th, 2006.

Think Themes

When placing an ad on AALBC.com, "Think Themes".  Most advertisers want their book or banner ad to appear on the AALBC.com homepage; but your ad may be even more effective when placed on an AALBC.com page that is more closely related to your book, than the more general homepage.

Lets say that you know your book will appeal to lovers of "Urban Lit"; consider adding your book to the Vickie Stringer, Nikki Turner and Donald Goines pages.  Perhaps you've written a work of inspiration; consider Maya Angelou's or Iyanla Vanzant's pages; or how about a non-fiction work on education, try Jawanza Kunjufu's page.

AALBC.com has hundreds of frequently visited authors pages that rank very high on Google searches.  Use your imagination and customize an ad campaign to suit your book's specific needs. 

As always you can track the results by logging onto our web site to monitor your ad's views, click throughs and more.

Nikki Turner

Nikki Turner, an Essence best-selling author, and the reigning princess of hip-hop fiction.  Turner was working full time, while raising two children as a single parent, when she published A Hustler's Wife. Turner's A Hustler's Wife was a top 10 best selling book on AALBC.com in 2004 and 2005.

Bishop T. D. Jakes
http://authors.aalbc.com/t_d.htm

Bishop T.D. Jakes is the author of the bestsellers, God's Leading Lady; The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord; and Maximize the Moment, which was a New York Times business bestseller. He is also the author of the phenomenally successful Woman, Thou Art Loosed! which is the basis for a novel, a bestselling video and CD, a critically acclaimed stage production and an award-winning major motion picture.

Kathy J. Marsh

Marsh is the author of the novel The Aura of Love.  Lauretta Ali of Armchairinterviews.com describes: "A gifted writer, Marsh, has told a story that will leave her readers wanting more. Will these coven-crossed lovers survive? Enter the world of The Aura of Love and find out. You won't be disappointed."

Douglas E. McIntosh is a writer, born in 1960, in New York City. He holds an MBA in Finance, and a BA in History. He has worked as a Banker, Financial Analyst, and Financial Consultant.   In the late 1990s, Douglas began to write, simply for enjoyment, and relaxation. Yet it gave him even greater joy to find that others, as well, enjoyed reading his literary creations and it is that, along with his love of weaving, and telling interesting and poignant stories, that has continued to motivate him.  Enjoy a sample of Mcintosh's writing by reading his short story; To Journey Home (http://authors.aalbc.com/to_journey_home.htm)

John Hope Franklin
http://authors.aalbc.com/john_hope_franklin.htm

Franklin lived through America's most defining twentieth-century transformation, the dismantling of legally-protected racial segregation. A renowned scholar, he has explored that transformation in its myriad aspects, notably in his 3.5 million-copy bestseller, From Slavery to Freedom.  Born in 1915, he, like every other African American, could not but participate: he was evicted from whites-only train cars, confined to segregated schools, threatened-once with lynching-and consistently met with racism's denigration of his humanity. And yet he managed to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard, become the first black historian to assume a full-professorship at a white institution, and garner over 130 honorary degrees.

Now in its third year, the African American Pavilion at BEA is the largest national marketplace for thousands of African American publishing industry professionals. According to Wade Hudson, President of Just Us Books, "The African American Pavilion is a growing presence at BEA". "There will be great opportunities to learn, share, educate, sell and network; and it's making black book history a vital, visible part of the 105-year history of BookExpo America/American Booksellers Association."

From Ike to Mao and beyond: My Journey from Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist � Reviewed by Herb Boyd

Naturally, as a Black reader, I was drawn to a couple of middle chapters of the book where Avakian delivers his take on the Black Panther Party. This is not done, however, until after he recalls Malcolm X and how this great leader influenced his political and revolutionary development. �I loved to listen to Malcolm X speeches,� Avakian writes. �At one point, I got a recording of �The Ballot or the Bullet,� and I listened to that over and over. Later, when I started making speeches myself, I drew a lot from Malcolm X, especially the way in which he exposed profound injustices and contradictions of the system so sharply.�

Split Indecision Book By Pierre Bateau � Reviewed by Jayne Cubbage

Packed with so many twists and turns, this book takes on the feel of a high-speed chase down the freeway at 120 mph. The plot has it all murder, multiple personalities, sensuality, a family fortune and medical science and it�s coming at you so fast that there�s barely enough time to digest all of the facts. 

Every Woman�s Man by Rique Johnson � Reviewed by Thumper

Yeah, it�s unusual for me to read a book with a title like, Every Woman�s Man, a novel by Rique Johnson. I don�t normally go for the sister girl relationship books. Actually, I can�t stand them. But, I found myself in an unlikely, highly unusual position of needing something to read. Unfortunately for me, Every Woman�s Man caught my eye. The novel didn�t appear that it would take me long to read it, so I started it. The novel which centers on one man�s fear of committing to a relationship and the women, who love him, began as a quick, interesting read. The quick and interesting read soon dissolved into a long agonizing bore.

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley � Reviewed by Kam Williams

Brinkley, a professor of history at Tulane University in New Orleans, recounts the blow-by-blow... in this 700+ page tome reveals that there were many villains responsible for the mind-boggling mismanagement and utter neglect, but this shocking text indicts Nagin, Brown and Bush as among the most culpable.  First, Nagin committed the unpardonable sin of implementing an evacuation plan which only addressed the needs of the rich and big business, ignoring folks without the wherewithal to save themselves. Then, as the crisis worsened, the Mayor simply hid, coming apart at the seams, doing absolutely nothing.

Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor Edited by Paul Beatty � Reviewed by Robert Fleming
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/hokum1.htm

Beatty was quoted in an newspaper interview, saying not many contemporary people are funny anymore, but he found enough of them to bring a smile to any reader�s face. A good cast is worth repeating (at least a part of it): Wanda Coleman, Franklin Ajaye, Rev. Al Sharpton, Percival Everett, Bob Kaufman, Henry Dumas, Amiri Baraka, Mike Tyson, Patricia Smith, Bert Williams, Toni Cade Bambara, Ish Reed, Spike Lee, Elizabeth Alexander, Ralph Ellison, Fran Ross, Suzan Lori-Parks, and Steve Cannon, among others. I found myself chuckling and drawing stares from the annoyed and polite. Tough.

With Billie by Julia Blackburn  � Book Reviewed by Robert Fleming
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/with_billie.htm

Phat Girlz � Movie Review by Kam Williams
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/phat_girlz.htm

Jazmin Biltmore (Mo�Nique) is at war with the world. This plus-sized sister�s problems start with the fact that she works at a posh, L.A. clothing boutique frequented by thin women, and as Jazmin puts it, �I hate skinny bitches!� and it doesn�t help that she �ain�t been laid in nine months� of her customers are accompanied by black men. 

�If I see another brother with a white girl, I swear I�m gonna shoot somebody,� she informs her equally-plump, best friend, Stacey (Kendra Johnson), just before another such couple shows up and an ugly scenes ensues.

Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea�s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life by Tyler Perry - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/dont_make_a_black_woman.htm

We learn that Madea has some skeletons in her closet and that she was a single-mom and worked as a stripper to support her daughter. She also shares that she was opposed to Rosa Parks call for a bus boycott to end segregated seating because, �I was too big to be walking all that around.�

Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny by Hill Harper - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/letters_young_brother.htm

Young men today have been bombarded with images of wealth and success that tell them that buying the hottest car or the most bling-blingin� jewelry is what they should be motivated by. There is an overwhelming sales pitch targeted at these young men that subliminally suggests that material goods are what makes them real men. I want young men to have knowledge of the things that bring them true empowerment: education, a strong sense of purpose, compassion, confidence, and humility, to name a few. �Excerpted from the Introduction

Stripped Bare: The 12 Truths That Will Help You Land the Very Best Black Man by LaDawn Black - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/stripped_bare.htm

 �Play close attention, ladies: there are many great black men out there. Do not buy into the lies that all the good men are already married or gay. These are lies sold to our community so that we don�t forge strong family or personal relationships, which have statistically proven to contribute to long, secure, and prosperous lives. Further, it is my belief that sisters clothe themselves with these lies so that we can justify our inability to select quality men or end bad relationships.� �Excerpted from Chapter 1

Mixed: My Life in Black and White by Angela Nissel - Reviewed by Kam Williams

Initially, called everything from zebra to mulatto to Oreo red-boned to stuck-up yellow b*tch, Angela describes how she over-compensated by trying to become a super black sister. Then, everything changed in high school with the advent of gangsta rap on MTV and BET, since, as she describes it, �The majority of the women in the videos had my complexion� I became even more secure in my light skin when I discovered the mania was deeper than life imitating hip-hop.�

Ving Rhames: The Mission: Impossible III Interview - by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/ving_rhames.htm

"The beauty of this one, for me, in coming back, is the script, J.J. Abrams and the other writers, the new cast members and the energy and authenticity that they bring to the piece, and the fact that we all had an extremely good chemistry with one another. So, it was a chance to have some fun and make a good deal of money."

African-American Lives - DNA Helps Celebs Discover Roots in PBS DVD
http://aalbc.com/reviews/african-american_lives.htm

Courtesy of DNA evidence, Gates is certainly surprised to learn that more of his ancestors came from Ireland and France than from Africa. By contrast, Bishop Jakes� is enabled to pinpoint his forefathers� point of departure from Africa. Upon his travel return, he is greeted by a long-lost relative with, �Welcome home!�

Remembering Glenn Thompson - W. Paul Coates with the assistance of Kamili Anderson 9/19/2001
http://reviews.aalbc.com/remembering_glenn_thompson.htm

Glenn Thompson was an exemplary Black publisher.  He viewed books as weapons of liberation and saw his task as that of a soldier, arming the people to free themselves.  He chose to publish great books about people of African descent that helped to define the reality of the Black experience.  He also chose to publish outstanding books that redefined the White experience from the perspectives of those who were oppressed and dispossessed by it--and he did so in subtle, subversive, but often comical ways.

Black. White. Reality-TV series - Reviewed by Kam Williams

Rose, meanwhile, who looks better black than white by the way, ventures into South Central, where she takes a course in poetry slam. Though she�s the only one of the six whose make-up leaves her looking human, she is apparently the most conflicted about behaving differently in order to trick strangers. So, she talks and walks and speaks exactly the way she did before she became a sister.

National Book Club Conference - August 4 to 6, 2006 - Atlanta, GA

National Book Club Conference is the world's largest book club meeting, and all the charm, learning, fun and fellowship that come with conventional meetings are the hallmarks of the '06 occasion. What distinguishes the NBCC from any other literary event is the access to authors.

At the '05 NBCC, Terry McMillan not only received the Walter Mosley Author of Distinction Award, but she attended the "book club meetings" of Trisha R. Thomas and Bebe Moore Campbell, among others. She also was a panelist on the Past, Present and Future of Black Literature discussion.

Queens Book Festival 2006 - August 19, 2006 - Jamaica, New York

Last year the Queens Book Fair was held on April 30, 2005 and was featured in Newsday, May 3, 2005, article "This book fair�s for the self-published" New York City Edition Neighborhoods section pg. A52.  Self-published authors from around the country flocked the 2005 Queens Book Fair, along with book lovers around the tri-state area. Queens Borough President Helen Marshall proclaimed the month of April as Book Month in Queens

Indigocafe.com

"Indigocafe.com (also known as Indigo Caf� & Books) is a progressive, independent, online community bookstore.

We sell our books to customers from all over the US and thoughout the world. Our customers and visitors are an online community of thoughtful people who share a love for books and a dedication to progressive values.

We sell retail books, discounted books, and unusual titles from independent presses and individual authors. We are very selective about the books that we carry. All the titles that we offer are lovingly chosen. So go ahead and take a chance and buy a title from an author that is not familiar to you. We've done the homework!"

Editor's Note: Indigocafe.com also has an affiliate program, so if you are selling books on-line check out Indigo Cafe!

Ebonyfly.com

ebonyfly.com is an online community of avid readers of African-American literature. Our members come to our site to discuss novels and various other topics, meet new people, and exchange ideas. Our goal is to expose our readers to new and exciting authors through our weekly sales and the ebonyfly.com bookstore.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out Ebonyfly.com's weekly $5 book sale

SistahsSupportingBlackAuthors Book Club

The ladies of SSBA Book Club are located in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are a dynamic, and diverse group of black women whose ages range from 33 to 43 years. We share a common interest in reading and discussing novels that are about black people and written by black authors. SSBA Book Club also enjoys a powerful networking ring that works well within our intimate, but progressive group. Well-established and grounded, we have been meeting on a monthly basis since 1996.